Virtual Opening of Boxes and Packs of Cards

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for virtual opening of packages such as boxes and packs of cards are provided herein. Exemplary systems may execute methods via one or more processors, which are programmed to generate a visual representation of a package, receive input from the user, the input indicating opening of the package, and provide feedback to the user corresponding to the opening of the package that at least partially mimics a physical opening of the package.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application is a continuation of pendingU.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/206,872 filed onNov. 30, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 10,156,970issued on Dec. 18, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No.9,195,369, issued on Nov. 24, 2015, which claims benefit to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/595,509, filed on Feb. 6,2012, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety including all references cited therein.

FIELD OF THE PRESENT TECHNOLOGY

The present technology relates generally to virtual opening of boxes andpacks of cards. Generally, embodiments of the present invention includemethods in which an interactive software displays virtual boxes andpacks of trading cards and allows for the player to interact with andopen the virtual boxes and package of cards as if they were real, withthe goal of providing satisfaction and engagement to the user throughthe use of touch screen and mouse interaction with the boxes and packs

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, the opening of boxes and packs of cards comprise physicalactivities applied to boxes or playing cards that exist in physicalembodiments or tangible mediums. For example, physical boxes or packs ofcards are opened by tearing, ripping, unfolding, or otherwise removingat least a portion of the box or package of cards to expose or revealwhat is contained therein.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT TECHNOLOGY

According to some embodiments, the present technology may be directed toa system that comprises: (a) one or more processors; and (b) logicencoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the one or moreprocessors and when executed operable to perform operations comprising:(i) generating a visual representation of a package; (ii) receivinginput from the user, the input indicating opening of the package; and(iii) providing feedback to the user corresponding to the opening of thepackage that at least partially mimics a physical opening of thepackage.

According to some embodiments, the present technology may be directed toa system that comprises: (a) one or more processors; and (b) logicencoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the one or moreprocessors and when executed operable to perform operations comprising:(i) executing a program environment that includes a virtual store; (ii)providing a plurality of packs of cards in the virtual store, each ofthe plurality of packs of cards comprising a visual representation;(iii) receiving selection of one or more of the plurality of packs ofcards; (iv) providing the selection of the one or more the plurality ofpacks of cards; (v) receiving input from a user, the input indicatingopening of the selected pack of cards; and (vi) causing feedback for theuser corresponding to the opening of the selected pack of cards that atleast partially mimics a physical opening of the selected pack of cards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the present technology are illustrated by theaccompanying figures. It will be understood that the figures are notnecessarily to scale and that details not necessary for an understandingof the technology or that render other details difficult to perceive maybe omitted. It will be understood that the technology is not necessarilylimited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary architecture in whichembodiments of the present technology may be practiced;

FIG. 2 illustrates the presentation of a plurality of packs of cards viaa graphical user interface;

FIG. 3 illustrates selection of one or more of the plurality of packs ofcards of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4-7 are graphical user interfaces that each illustrate the use oftouch-based input to open a package within a virtual environmentrepresented via a graphical user interface; and

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computing device that may be used toimplement embodiments according to the present technology.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

While this technology is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail several specific embodiments with the understanding that thepresent disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of theprinciples of the technology and is not intended to limit the technologyto the embodiments illustrated.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presenttechnology. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that like or analogous elements and/or components,referred to herein, may be identified throughout the drawings with likereference characters. It will be further understood that several of thefigures are merely schematic representations of the present technology.As such, some of the components may have been distorted from theiractual scale for pictorial clarity.

Embodiments of the present technology include methods in which aninteractive software displays virtual boxes and packs of trading cards(e.g., trading, collectible or other type of card as described ingreater detail below) and mimics or emulates the visual and audiofeedback received when opening real boxes and packs of cards and allowsfor the player to interact with and open the virtual boxes and packageof cards as if they were a tangible object, with the goal of providingsatisfaction and engagement to the user through the use of touch screenand mouse interaction with the boxes and packs, allowing the softwareuser to move, tear, flip, peel open the virtual boxes and packs of cardson screen with unique gestures taken in by a computer device.

Embodiments of the present technology may yield increased enjoyment,player engagement and player compulsion to open more packs of cards,driving them to acquire more packs of cards within the software eitherthrough continued use or play or by purchasing packs of cards in thesoftware's virtual goods store.

These and other advantages of the present technology are provided ingreater detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary architecture in whichembodiments of the present technology may be practiced. According tosome embodiments, the architecture may comprise a client device 105,which in some instances may comprise an end user computing device, amobile computing device, or any other device capable of displayinggraphical user interfaces and allowing an end user to interact with suchGUIs.

The client device 105 may be communicatively coupled with a server 110via a network 115, which may comprise any a local area network (“LAN”),a wide area network (“WAN”), or any other private or public network,such as the Internet. The network 115 may also comprise atelecommunications network.

According to some embodiments, the server 110 may comprise any computingdevice, such as the computing device 800 (also referred to as system 800and/or computer system 800) of FIG. 8. The server 110 includes one ormore processors such as the one or more processors 810 of FIG. 8, andmemory for storing executable instructions (e.g., logic) such as themain memory 820 of computing device 800. This logic, when executed bythe one or more processors, is operable to perform operations, includingthe exemplary methods described herein.

In some instances, the functions of the server 110 may be implementedwithin a cloud-based computing environment. In general, a cloud-basedcomputing environment is a resource that typically combines thecomputational power of a large model of processors and/or that combinesthe storage capacity of a large model of computer memories or storagedevices. For example, systems that provide a cloud resource may beutilized exclusively by their owners; or such systems may be accessibleto outside users who deploy applications within the computinginfrastructure to obtain the benefit of large computational or storageresources.

The cloud may be formed, for example, by a network of servers, with eachserver (or at least a plurality thereof) providing processor and/orstorage resources. These servers may manage workloads provided bymultiple users (e.g., cloud resource consumers or other users).Typically, each user places workload demands upon the cloud that vary inreal-time, sometimes dramatically. The nature and extent of thesevariations typically depend on the type of business associated with theuser.

According to some embodiments, the server 110 may execute logic storedin memory to facilitate a method for control and visualization ofrepresentations of one or more boxes and/or packs of cards, referred togenerally as “packages,” allowing for the control and manipulation ofthe boxes and packs on screen. These packages may be displayed ascomponents of a graphical user interface. The server 110 may allow forpackages such as boxes and packs of cards to be flipped, ripped, torn orpeeled open (reinforced through a variety of visual and audio cues)through gestures or other input into the client device 105 to reveal thecard packs within the boxes and the cards within the packs. In otherinstances, boxes may be opened using corresponding gestures or input,exposing the contents of the boxes.

Stated concisely, the technical effect described herein is ability ofthe server 110 or other computing device to mimic the opening of aphysical package, within a virtual environment. The system allows theuser to receive feedback that provides visual, aural, and/or tactilefeedback that represents the opening of a physical package.

Generally, the server 110 may execute logic via the one or moreprocessors to generate a visual representation of a package, receiveinput from the user indicating opening of the package, and provide anyof visual feedback and audio feedback to the user corresponding to theopening of the package. In some instances, the server 110 may causefeedback, which includes haptic feedback. The haptic feedback may allowthe user to “feel” the tearing or opening of a package, providingreal-world tactile feedback. It will be understood that the server 110may “cause” feedback by transmitting signals to the client device 105that cause the client device 105 to provide, for example, hapticfeedback. For example, the server 110 may cause the client device 105 tovibrate in conjunction with a virtual opening of a package of cards.

In some embodiments, the representations of packages may be implementedwithin a single and/or multi-player game, which includes the packages.Visual representations of boxes and pack(s) of cards generated by theserver 110, as well as opening of these packages by the server 110 mayresult exposure of the package contents (e.g., cards in a pack) on adisplay device of the client device 105. Additionally, the server 110may generate visual and/or audio feedback that mimics/recreates theopening of a real package of cards, providing the user with the samesense of excitement and intrigue within the virtual experiences ascompared to opening a package in the physical world.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that while the methodsexecuted by the server 110 have been described as causing thepresentation of visual or audio feedback on a client device 105, such asvia a web browser client, it will be understood that the one or moreprocessors of the client device 105 may also be configured to executethe methods described herein such that the server 110 may be excludedand/or utilized to augment the methods being executed on the clientdevice 105.

The fashion in which the server 110 determines the contents of a packagemay be determined in a variety of fashions, from a purely randomdistribution of cards to a predetermined selection of cards. Either ofthese card distributions methods and any approach that would be known toone of ordinary skill in the art with the present disclosure before themmay be determined locally on the client device 105 or over network 115if the server 110 and client device are communicatively coupled via theInternet, for example.

In operation, the server 110 may authenticate a user utilizingpredefined authentication credentials. The server 110 may allow the userto purchase trading card boxes, packages, and the like from a virtualstore. For example, the software user may register/signup at or log into an account at the virtual store. Registration may include providingpayment information, such a real or virtual source(s) of currency.

In other embodiments, users may search, browse, and the like for desiredtrading cards (e.g., by card series, packaging, etc.) at the virtualstore, which is generated by the server 110. In some instances, the usermay be presented with a plurality of packages, such as trading cardboxes. Using their client device 105, the user may select one or more ofthe plurality of packages.

It will be understood that the packages and contents thereof may be tiedto the particular computing environment or program being executed by theserver 110. For example, in a videogame computing environment thatincludes a playing card-based game, the server 110 may generate andprovide packs of game-specific packages of cards that can be opened byplayers. FIG. 2 illustrates the provision/presentation of a plurality ofpackages of cards via a graphical user interface.

Upon selection of a package(s) of cards, the player may open eachpackage of cards in a variety of ways that may mimic/emulate the reallife opening of a package of cards. It will be understood that theserver 110 may manage a set of instructions that tie touch-based inputto the execution of actions by the server 110. The selection of apackage of cards is illustrated in FIG. 3

For example, a player may tap his or her finger or mouse pointer on thescreen on top of the package of cards. This input may cause the server110 to execute instructions which cuts or tears open the package ofcards. The server 110 may execute a tearing animation as the playerperforms the action and/or an audio cue (e.g., sound effect(s)) may beplayed to reinforce the action. FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary tap andtear actions. It will be understood that the terms “touch-based input”may also include input received from one or more input devices thatrepresent an interaction by the user within a virtual environment.

In another example, a player may swipe his or her finger or mousepointer across the screen and over the package of cards. This input maycause the server 110 to execute instructions which cuts or tears openthe package of cards across the line swiped by the player. That is, theswipe traces a path across the package of cards. The server 110 mayexecute a tearing animation as the player performs the action and anaudio cue (e.g., sound effect(s)) may be played to reinforce the moment.FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary swipe and tear actions.

In yet another example, a player may utilize a touch-based input such asplacing two fingers on the package of cards, one on either side of therepresentation of the package of cards on screen. When the player pullstheir fingers apart (e.g., expand gesture), this action results in theserver 110 executing a ripping open of the package of cards. The server110 may execute a tearing animation as the player performs the actionand an audio cue (e.g., sound effect(s)) may be played to reinforce themoment. It is noteworthy that the expand gesture causes the server 110to provide a visual representation of the package of cards being rippedin a direction that is substantially parallel to the direction ofgesture swipe. This tearing animation mimics the physical tearing of apackage by grasping opposing sides of a package and pulling the packageapart. FIG. 6 illustrates exemplary expand and tear actions.

According to some embodiments, a player may utilize a touch-based inputsuch as placing their finger on the corner of the package of cards,followed by a pause for a brief period of time. Alternatively the usermay utilize their mouse and click their mouse pointer on a corner of thepackage of cards. In either input, the user may then pulls his or herfinger (or mouse cursor) along a length of the package of cards causingthe package of cards to be peeled open along the line of the directionof the finger or mouse movement. A peeling animation may be played asthe player performs the action and an audio cue (e.g., sound effect(s))may be played to reinforce the moment. FIG. 7 illustrates exemplaryexpand and tear actions.

According to some embodiments, tearing or otherwise opening of thepackage may expose at least a portion of the content thereof. Forexample, the server 110 may display cards from within an opened packageof cards may to the player. The server 110 may automatically present thecards to the player through a predetermined animation. Alternatively,the player may pull the cards from the opened pack with the use of thetouch interface or mouse controls. Other methods or processes fordisplaying the cards to the user that would be known by one of ordinaryskill in the art may also be used in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

Trading cards included in some embodiments may typically be virtualrepresentations of small rectangular cards, usually made out ofpaperboard or thick paper, which usually contain an image of a person,place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of thepicture, along with other text further describing attributes specific tothe item in the image including such attributes as attacks, defenses,other abilities, physical characteristics, possessions, statistics,backstory, trivia, and the like. These cards are typically sold in boxesthat contain several packs of cards with each package of cardscontaining a random sampling of the cards available in that particularcollection. There is wide variation among the different types of cardsthat have been made available from differing configurations and content,the material used to make the cards, the pack wrapping and boxes (frompapers, cardboards, plastics, metal foils, cloth and more). Theaforementioned characteristics may be emulated or represented virtuallyto varying degrees.

In various embodiments, a collectible card game, also called a tradingcard game or customizable card game, is played using specially designedsets of virtual playing cards. For example, cards designed specificallyfor playing games may have fantasy subjects, sports subjects, and thelike as the basis for game play. In some embodiments, the game may haverules including the player's objectives, categories of cards used in thegame, and ways in which the cards interact.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computing device 800 that may be used toimplement an embodiment of the present systems and methods. The system800 of FIG. 8 may be implemented in the contexts of the likes ofcomputing devices, networks, servers, or combinations thereof. Thecomputing device 800 of FIG. 8 includes one or more processors 810 andmain memory 820. Main memory 820 stores, in part, instructions and datafor execution by processor 810. Main memory 820 may store the executablecode when in operation. The system 800 of FIG. 8 further includes a massstorage device 830, portable storage device 840, output devices 850,user input devices 860, a display system 870, and peripheral devices880.

The components shown in FIG. 8 are depicted as being connected via asingle bus 890. The components may be connected through one or more datatransport means. Processor unit 810 and main memory 820 may be connectedvia a local microprocessor bus, and the mass storage device 830,peripheral device(s) 880, portable storage device 840, and displaysystem 870 may be connected via one or more input/output (I/O) buses.

Mass storage device 830, which may be implemented with a magnetic diskdrive or an optical disk drive, is a non-volatile storage device forstoring data and instructions for use by processor unit 810. Massstorage device 830 may store the system software for implementingembodiments of the present technology for purposes of loading thatsoftware into main memory 820.

Portable storage device 840 operates in conjunction with a portablenon-volatile storage medium, such as a floppy disk, compact disk,digital video disc, or USB storage device, to input and output data andcode to and from the computer system 800 of FIG. 8. The system softwarefor implementing embodiments of the present technology may be stored onsuch a portable medium and input to the computer system 800 via theportable storage device 840.

User input devices 860 provide a portion of a user interface. User inputdevices 860 may include an alphanumeric keypad, such as a keyboard, forinputting alpha-numeric and other information, or a pointing device,such as a mouse, a trackball, stylus, or cursor direction keys.Additional user input devices 860 may comprise, but are not limited to,devices such as speech recognition systems, facial recognition systems,motion-based input systems, gesture-based systems, and so forth. Forexample, user input devices 860 may include a touchscreen. Additionally,the system 800 as shown in FIG. 8 includes output devices 850. Suitableoutput devices include speakers, printers, network interfaces, andmonitors.

Display system 870 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) or othersuitable display device. Display system 870 receives textual andgraphical information, and processes the information for output to thedisplay device.

Peripherals device(s) 880 may include any type of computer supportdevice to add additional functionality to the computer system.Peripheral device(s) 880 may include a modem or a router.

The components provided in the computer system 800 of FIG. 8 are thosetypically found in computer systems that may be suitable for use withembodiments of the present technology and are intended to represent abroad category of such computer components that are well known in theart. Thus, the computer system 800 of FIG. 8 may be a personal computer,hand held computing device, telephone, mobile computing device,workstation, server, minicomputer, mainframe computer, or any othercomputing device. The computer may also include different busconfigurations, networked platforms, multi-processor platforms, etc.Various operating systems may be used including Unix, Linux, Windows,Mac OS, Palm OS, Android, iOS (known as iPhone OS before June 2010),QNX, and other suitable operating systems.

It is noteworthy that any hardware platform suitable for performing theprocessing described herein is suitable for use with the systems andmethods provided herein. Computer-readable storage media refer to anymedium or media that participate in providing instructions to a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a processor, a microcontroller, or the like. Suchmedia may take forms including, but not limited to, non-volatile andvolatile media such as optical or magnetic disks and dynamic memory,respectively. Common forms of computer-readable storage media include afloppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, magnetic tape, any othermagnetic storage medium, a CD-ROM disk, digital video disk (DVD), anyother optical storage medium, RAM, PROM, EPROM, a FLASHEPROM, any othermemory chip or cartridge.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent technology may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be coupled with the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present technology has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the present technology in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the presenttechnology. Exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order tobest explain the principles of the present technology and its practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the present technology for various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Aspects of the present technology are described above with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of thepresent technology. It will be understood that each block of theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations ofblocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present technology. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. The descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of thetechnology to the particular forms set forth herein. Thus, the breadthand scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of theabove-described exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that theabove description is illustrative and not restrictive. To the contrary,the present descriptions are intended to cover such alternatives,modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit andscope of the technology as defined by the appended claims and otherwiseappreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. The scope of thetechnology should, therefore, be determined not with reference to theabove description, but instead should be determined with reference tothe appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more processors; andlogic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the one ormore processors and when executed operable to perform operationscomprising: transmitting a visual representation of a virtual boxcontaining one or more packages of virtual items and having a box lid orbox flaps to a client device for display to a user; receivingtouch-based input from the user on the virtual box displayed via agraphical user interface of the client device, the touch-based inputindicating opening of the virtual box by the user; transmitting, to theclient device, signals that are used by the client device to providehaptic feedback to the user from the client device in conjunction withthe opening of the virtual box, the opening of the virtual boxcomprising exposing at least one of the virtual items; and generatingfor display the at least one of the virtual items on the graphical userinterface.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the hapticfeedback causes the client device to vibrate.
 3. The system according toclaim 1, wherein the opening of the virtual box further comprises a boxlid or box flaps opening animation as the user performs the touch-basedinput.
 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the opening of thevirtual box further comprises a sound effect to reinforce the box lid orthe box flaps opening of the virtual box as the user performs thetouch-based input action.
 5. The system according to claim 1, whereinopening of the virtual box further comprises the box lid or the boxflaps opening animation and a sound cue as the user performs the input.6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the logic when executed isfurther operable to perform operations comprising providing a pluralityof selections of virtual items to the user, each of the selectionscomprising a visual representation of a virtual item; and receiving aselection of at least one of the plurality of selections of virtualitems.
 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the touch-based inputcomprises a tap input relative to the virtual box, the tap input causingthe one or more processors to execute the logic to perform operationscomprising of at least a portion a box lid or at least one box flapopening animation as the user performs the touch-based input.
 8. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the touch-based input comprises aswipe input relative to the package, the swipe input tracing a pathacross at least the lid of the virtual box or the one or more box flaps,the swipe input causing the one or more processors to execute the logicto perform operations comprising executing an opening animation of thebox lid or the box flaps crossed by the path as the user performs thetouch-based input.
 9. The system according to claim 1, wherein thesystem is part of a game.
 10. The system according to claim 1, whereinthe virtual items are boxes of cards and opening of the virtual boxexposes one or more of the boxes of cards within the virtual box.
 11. Aclient device comprising: one or more processors; and logic encoded inone or more tangible media for execution by the one or more processorsand when executed operable to perform operations comprising: receiving aselection of a virtual box containing one or more packages of virtualitems displayed on a graphical user interface of the client device, theselection received from a user of the client device; displaying theselected virtual box on the graphical user interface to the user;receiving touch-based input at the graphical user interface from theuser on the virtual box, the touch-based input indicating opening of thevirtual box; vibrating the graphical user interface in conjunction withthe opening of the virtual box to mimic a physical opening of thevirtual box, the opening of the virtual box comprising opening a lid orone or more box flaps to expose the virtual items; and displaying thevirtual items of the virtual box on the graphical user interface. 12.The client device according to claim 11, further comprising providingfeedback to the user corresponding to the opening of the virtual box,the feedback comprising an animation that represents the opening of thevirtual box lid or the one or more virtual box flaps.
 13. The clientdevice according to claim 11, further comprising providing feedback tothe user corresponding to the opening of the virtual box, the feedbackcomprising a sound associated with the opening of the virtual box lid orthe one or more virtual box flaps.
 14. The client device according toclaim 11, wherein, following the opening of the selected pack of cards,displaying a plurality of virtual items from within the opened virtualbox.
 15. The client device according to claim 11, wherein the performedoperations further comprise a game environment, the game environmentcomprising the virtual store including the virtual box containing theone or more virtual items.
 16. The client device according to claim 11,further comprising playing a custom animation to display confirmation ofthe selection of the one of the one or more virtual items contained inthe virtual box.
 17. A method comprising: receiving a touch-based inputon a virtual box, the virtual box displayed to a user via a graphicaluser interface of a client device, the touch-based input indicatingopening of the virtual box; providing a package opening animation to theuser as the user performs the touch-based input, the virtual box openinganimation providing a visual cue mimicking a physical opening of thevirtual box, the opening of the virtual box comprising opening a virtualbox lid or one or more virtual box flap so as to expose at least one ofa plurality of virtual items; and generating for display at least onevirtual item of the plurality of virtual items on the graphical userinterface.
 18. The method according to claim 17, further comprisingproviding an audio cue as the user performs the touch-based input, theaudio cue providing an auditory cue mimicking the physical opening ofthe virtual box lid or the one or more virtual box flaps.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 17, further comprising providing haptic feedback andan audio cue as the user performs the touch-based input, the hapticfeedback providing a tactile cue mimicking the physical opening of thevirtual box lid or the one or more virtual box flaps, the audio cueproviding an auditory cue mimicking the physical opening of the virtualbox lid or the one or more virtual box flaps.
 20. The method accordingto claim 17, further comprising executing a program environment thatincludes a virtual store, the virtual store comprising a plurality ofvirtual boxes, the plurality of virtual boxes including the plurality ofvirtual items.